Recovery as in foods that will help you recover after a kick-butt workout.
I have learned something interesting over the past few months...losing weight is not as straightforward as you might think. For instance, you would assume that if you simply ate less, and worked out, that the weight would come off. That is not necessarily true! Because if you do not eat enough, your body will go into a "starvation mode" and you wont lose anything at all. Sucks right? So...you have to find the very delicate balance between eating enough, and eating healthy, and working out, and losing weight. I'm a fairly simple, laid back kind of person...so that sounds like a lot of effort I don't want to have to put into it. I am very pleased to say that I was wrong in that assumption!! The website at Livestrong is a calorie and fitness tracker, one of the more accurate I have found. I enter in my weight goal, current weight, age, etc., and then I enter my calories and fitness daily. It balances out the difference between calories eaten/burned for me...so there is no hassle! They also have apps for Apple and Android devices; so I have the capability to track no matter where I am. This has helped me immensely, and I have lost more, on average, since using it. Obviously its not the only site out there, but I have tried several, and this one is my favorite.
Thanks to this site, I know that on Tuesdays and Thursdays in particular, I *burn* about 1000 calories. That is only slightly less than what my initial calorie intake should be! Holy smokes! So I have to make up those calories with the foods I eat, but still keep it healthy. I think of those days as days where I can indulge myself a little more...for instance, I allowed myself a Starbucks this morning (way more calories than I would usually go for in the AM). I stick with Really Big Salads and tons of water for lunch, and then come up with a dinner that has a bit higher calorie count than most. So I am still eating healthy, but I am also not starving myself, cus I gotta keep that calorie burner gassed up.
Not only do I have to keep enough fuel in my body, but I want to eat foods that are good for muscle recovery; because I work my muscles hard. "No pain, no gain" is the popular saying, but there's a difference between the good burn you feel when working out, and severe muscle aches as you start to recover. One of the best things to help that is protein! Foods like nuts, lean meats, fish, and green veggies are great for helping muscles recover. Add some potassium from bananas, avocados, and other fruits, and your body should feel pretty good!
Tonight I'm "recovering" with Skinny Enchiladas. My love of cheesy Mexican food is hard to satisfy in a healthy way sometimes, but with this dish I get the flavors I love, with waaaayyyy less calories!
Skinny Chicken Enchiladas:
Ingredients:
12 oz. light sour cream
2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 C. chicken stock
1/3 C. heavy cream (I used coconut milk tonight, as a healthier alternative)
1/4 C. coconut or almond flour
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
2 1/2 C cooked shredded chicken breast (you know what to do with that chicken)
1 can Mexican Rotel
1 C chopped onions
8 gluten free tortillas (you'll find the recipe in the archive with the burritos)
1 C shredded co-jack cheese
1 can diced green chiles
Directions:
In a saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour until clumps form.
Slowly whisk in stock to make a roux, then whisk in cream and salt and pepper to taste.
Then slowly whisk in sour cream, and cilantro. Heat through and set aside.
This is will get to the bubble up/boil stage quickly and make a huge hot mess if you don't keep stirring.
Combine the chicken, Rotel, onions and green chiles in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Heat until onions are transparent.
Now is the time to make your tortillas.
Fill each tortilla with about 2 Tbsp. of the chicken mixture.
Top with about 1/2-1 tablespoon of cheese (or a medium sized pinch if you measure like I do)
Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down (or they will unravel and you will be annoyed.) in an 8x11 dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Pour/Spread the sour cream sauce over enchiladas
Top with the remaining cheese
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.
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